Shoutout to the homay @TheeSkipper for putting the FIF on.

FIF.

These choirs could be singing the same song.

Based on your life experiences, one of these images resonates with you greater than the other.

Perhaps you may think one choir is more "anointed" than the other.

Whose church would you attend first?

How much is our worship (and response to worship) affected by our racial culture?

Does racial culture culture imply religion or imply God? Is there a better racial culture by which to worship Him?

Both musical drabness and flamboyance rarely translate into authentic worship, and vice versa.  But maybe there is a middle ground. 

These are the thoughts that floated around in my head as I attended "How Sweet The Sound".  A national celebration of the uniquely African-American gospel music culture, HSTS's night in St. Louis saw three (out of eight) choirs perform that were obviously White and still very knowledgeable of gospel music.

In fact (surprise!), the overall winner from St. Louis was Faith Baptist Church Mass Choir, a group with all White members.  Within seconds, the audience reacted to the choir's vocal discpline, authenticity, and style.  Instantly a crowd winner.  Check out a little footage (and prepare yourself for a little shaky video, my mother's singing and my yelling. Lol.):

And that was only half of their time.  They were authentically sharing the Gospel, not outfitted in a Black or White, dry or flashy box.  They sung a modern hymn by a Black man who just happens to be one of the greatest Christian songwriters of all time (if you don't know "Soon & Very Soon", go "iTune" the record NOW).  But you couldn't put a label on their worship because Christ shined through.  And the mostly Black audience couldn't do anything but get with it.  Still, our minds were BOGGLED....WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

We try so hard to use race and racial culture as a label within the Church--in music, doctrine, lifestyle, etc.  It seems like the easy way out, when it only complicates the relationships and the spiritual unity we have across ethnic & color lines.  It is only when we are STRIPPED down of our culture, our stereotypes, and our fears, that positive imagery will permeate Christian culture and we will be able to see the Body of Christ the way our Father sees us.

What are YOUR thoughts on racial culture within the Church and the imagery that it creates? Remember, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE!